


Small Parks

by maraanan



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Forbidden Relationships, Getting Back Together, M/M, TREAT YOURSELF, Xanlow Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 12:38:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maraanan/pseuds/maraanan
Summary: Xander sulks about his and Inigo's break-up. Severa drags him to go with her and Inigo for Treat Yourself Day.(parks and rec AU. ish. for xanlow week day 4, "return".)





	

**Author's Note:**

> IN WHICH I AM VERY LIBERAL WITH INTREPRETING THE PROMPT
> 
> ok basically this is like, a small part of a parks and rec AU i have. corrin takes leslie's role but she doesn't appear here, and also the leslie/ben forbidden relationship is given to xander and laslow. DING DING DING. title is a reference to the parks n rec episode.
> 
> remember in xander and selena's support where selena goes like "god you suck so MUCH i just have to help you". yeah. like that. also, alternatively titled, "baby it's YOOOUUUUU"

Inigo still smiles at him at work, because they’re supposed to pretend that nothing happened. He smiles when greeting him a good morning, smiles when handling him the stapler, smiles before leaving to go home, but it’s not like before. It’s not like before, and it hurts.

Xander had really liked him, you see.

“Hey, I’ll be going ahead,” Inigo says, already packing up his things.

Xander looks up from his computer, and nods. “Sure.”

Inigo smiles—his generic smile, the one that was meant to be charming (which it was). He waves at Xander goodbye before going out the door.

Other people wouldn’t notice the differences in Inigo’s smiles, but Xander does. He knows him.

A month ago, Inigo would’ve smiled at Xander with the smile that was meant just for him. A month ago, Inigo would’ve put a warm hand around his shoulder and told him not to stay up working too late.

Xander tries not to think about it. He goes back to his work.

(It still hurts, anyway.)

 

* * *

 

1:22 AM. _Go to sleep_ , Camilla texts him. He replies that he will, soon, but doesn't mean it.

He continues typing on his laptop. At this point he’s actually finished all the work he has to do for now, and now he’s just nitpicking, trying to keep himself busy with whatever he can find. He draws up plans on how to address the citizens’ complaints, even the tiniest, pettiest ones. He fixes his schedule for next week, as well as the entirety of the next six months.

Anything to keep him busy and make him feel productive. If he tries to go to sleep, he'll just have a hard time, because he'll be alone with his thoughts and he'll start thinking about Inigo again and he won't be able to sleep and it'll just be unproductive, and he hates being unproductive.

Another text from Camilla. _Okay, thank god. Good night._

He's guilty about lying to her, but he knows that she herself would have a difficult time getting a good night’s sleep when any of her siblings weren’t okay. He's like that, too; the both of them are, as the older ones in the family.

 

* * *

 

Severa barges into his office one day, right as he’s about to go take his lunch break.

“I'm kidnapping you!” she announces, striding towards his desk.

Xander furrows his brows. “Excuse me?”

"It's Treat Yourself Day,” she says, going behind him to take hold of the backrest of his wheeled armchair. “Guess who’s this year's special guest?”

“I don’t—“

“Hold on tight!”

Xander doesn’t get to finish the rest of his sentence because Severa’s pushing his chair—pushing him—out of his office, and through the hallways of the city hall. Xander clutches onto the arms of his chair for dear life, having absolutely no idea what's going on.

Well, thank god they’re only on the first floor.

They rush out of the building, and stop in the parking lot. Xander massages his temples. He feels a headache coming on.

Severa opens the backseat car door for him. “After you, your highness.”

Xander gives her the famous cold glare he’s known for. “I am not getting into this car,” he says, standing up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back to my own business now, thank you.”

“Hey, stop!” Severa says, reaching for his arm. "God, you're sooo dramatic. I told you, it's Treat Yourself Day! We're doing you a favor, at least be grateful—“

“O-kay!” The door to the passenger's seat opens. Inigo comes out. Xander freezes. “Severa, what the hell is going on?”

“Well, I told you that I had someone in mind to bring along today, y’know, and you said, ‘yeah, sure, Severa, that’s the greatest idea ever, you're so smart and I'm dumb’—“

"Those were not my exact words,” says Inigo. “And you never told me you were talking about…about—” He gestures in Xander's direction, flustered—“Him!"

“You never asked,” says Severa. “I mean, come on. Look at him, he's been more uptight and miserable than usual. And since he's the boss, that pretty much dampens everybody’s mood. And when any of her siblings are upset, Camilla gets upset, too! We have to do something about him, Inigo. I mean, like, he's just so pitiful.”

“I'm right here,” says Xander.

Inigo folds his arms. “Fine,” he says. “I guess he can go.”

“That's the spirit, Inigo,” says Severa. “You and I, we’re the best charity team.”

“Has it come to either of your attentions that I am not aware at all of what is going on?” says Xander.

“What are you talking about?” says Severa. “I already told you. It's Treat Yourself Day.”

"Me and Severa set aside a day every year to just, you know. Treat ourselves,” Inigo explains. “We go to the spa, go to the mall… stuff like that. Last year we brought our friend Gerome with us because we thought he needed to have some fun for once. He ended up buying a Batman costume for himself."

“And he cried," says Severa. "Batman was crying.”

Xander frowns. “That sounds like a waste of time," he says. “I have no interest in going to spas or crying in Batman costumes.”

“Don't care,” Severa says, going over to the other side to the driver’s seat. “You’re coming with us anyway.”

“What?" Xander says.

Inigo shrugs. “Sorry,” he says. “I really didn't mean for this to happen, trust me. I know how... awkward... it is. But I think it'll be good for you, you know? Also, Severa doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants. I've known her longer, so trust me when I say it's better to just go with it."

Severa honks the horn. "Get in the car, losers!" she yells. "We're going shopping!”

 

* * *

 

In the end, of course, Xander had no choice.

It's strange, spending time with Inigo again. Strange because it’s painful in a sort of way—they’re so physically close, doing things together not work-related, and yet it isn’t the same.

Severa’s presence adds to the different feeling, definitely. She and Xander aren’t not close, but he knows she is with his sister, and Xander thinks that's the only thing they have in common. (Sticking needles into his face at the spa was also an entirely alien experience. Inigo and Severa kept telling him it was meant to be “calming”. It was not. Xander had never been so stressed in his entire life.)

“Severa, darling!” Inigo says, when they're at some clothes store in the mall. An expensive clothes store. “I already have a navy blue blazer like this one at home, _but_ this one has sparkly gems for buttons. What do I do?”

“T-Y-S, Inigo," Severa says. “Treat yourself!”

“I don't agree with all of this excessive consumerism,” Xander says, sitting on one of the plush couches meant for people who wanted to try on shoes. He just wants to go back to work.

“It’s simple,” Severa says. “There’s a nice thing. I want the thing. I buy the thing. The thing makes me happy.”

Xander frowns. "I still don't get it."

 

* * *

 

They go to McDonald’s. Xander has never set foot in a McDonald’s in… ever. A lady walks past him, carrying a tray filled with greasy, oily fast food. Xander grimaces.

"Why are we here?” he asks.

Severa rolls her eyes. “You’re not learning,” she says.

“This is considered… ‘treating yourself’?” he says. “By the sort of things you two have been doing all the day, I would've assumed you would eat in a fancy restaurant instead of… here.”

"I usually stick to healthy food to keep my body in shape for dancing,” says Inigo. “So stuffing my stomach with french fries is treating myself, yes.”

"Bad for the body, good for the soul," says Severa. She points to an empty table. "Go sit there. I’m going to order.”

Inigo looked like he wanted to protest, but Severa was already making her way to the counter. Dejectedly, he sits at the table with Xander. Xander knows it's because he doesn't want to be left alone with him.

It's awkward.

"You never told me about… this. Before,” Xander says, trying to break the ice.

Inigo shrugs, not looking at his face. “I dunno,” he says. “I just thought you wouldn’t have cared. I mean… you find it pointless, right?”

“I would’ve cared,” Xander says quietly.

Inigo still doesn’t look at him. Xander sees him bite the inside of his cheek. “Would you have, really?”

“It seems important to you, so yes.”

Inigo does not say anything for a while. Xander wonders if he’s said the wrong thing. No, he knows he's said the wrong thing. The two of them had an agreement: they would pretend nothing happened. Then, Inigo says, “What are you trying to do, Xander?”

Xander blinks. “I don’t know.”

Severa comes back with the food, three exact same orders with the biggest burgers, biggest drinks, and biggest servings of french fries. "Eat up,” Severa says. "My treat.”

Xander stares at the horrifying burger in front of him. “I apologize for being so rude, but,” he says, “do I really have to eat this?”

"Xander," says Severa. “Treat. Your. Self.”

Xander frowns, and starts calculating how many push-ups he would have to do later at home after consuming this meal from hell. From the corner of his eye, he sees Inigo duck his head down, trying to hide his smile.

 

* * *

 

“Well, that was fun,” Inigo says. They’re in the parking lot, walking back to the car.

“Fun for us, yes," Severa says with a nod. “But for this guy—“ she pokes Xander in the side—“he didn't even _do_ anything.”

“I bought this wheat bread at Whole Foods while the two of you were browsing the lifestyle section of the bookstore,” Xander says.

Severa groans. “You’re such a loser! Inigo! Why is he such a loser?!”

“It’s not his fault he’s pathetic, Severa, you can’t blame him,” Inigo says. He turns to Xander. “Look, we can still spare some time and go back inside the mall for a while. Treat Yourself Day is about letting you treat yourself, letting yourself think about you and what you want. So, is there anything you really want right now?”

Something he really wants. Xander has to revert his gaze away from Inigo; looking at him while thinking of that question was painful. “No,” he says. “Not really.”

“Okay, then,” Inigo says. “Enjoy your wheat bread, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

Treat Yourself Day doesn't end at the mall, not for Inigo. And so he goes to bed in the comfiest sleeping clothes and the softest pillows and blankets he could find. Better yet, it started raining after he got home, and being in a warm bed all bundled up while the raindrops pitter-pattered outside his window was the best thing ever.

And then someone rings the doorbell.

Inigo groans, not wanting to get up from his heaven cocoon. He wonders if he could get away with pretending not to be home. But the ringing only continues, getting more urgent.

Mumbling to himself discontentedly, he threw off the covers and put on his slippers, shuffling to the door. “All, right, all right, I'm coming.”

He wasn't expecting to see Xander.

But there Xander was, dripping wet on his porch, panting heavily. Inigo recognized his car parked outside; he must’ve run from there to his front door in the rain.

Inigo's grip tightens on the door knob. “What are you doing here?”

Xander's lips set into a thin, determined line. His eyes don't leave Inigo's. "Treating myself.”

Inigo frowns at the vague answer. With a sigh, he opens the door wider, gesturing for Xander to come in. “You should come inside. I'll get you some towels.”

“No, no,” Xander says. “It’s all right. I only came to tell you something, anyway. I’m very sorry to have done it like this, I must’ve disturbed you, I only just wanted—“

“Xander,” Inigo says. “Just tell me what you have to say.”

It hurt already to even think about him and their break-up, which was even worse because they worked together and saw each other everyday. Today was even worse than usual because Severa made him come with them, which Inigo had been looking forward to as his day where he could just forget about everything Xander.

Xander isn't answering. He just keeps on staring, his brows knitted together. Inigo knows he's thinking about what he’s going to say, and he’s thinking about it very carefully.

(That was one thing Inigo had loved about Xander: he was always careful. If people stopped viewing him as someone frightening, they would see that aspect of him more. Careful with his hands, his words. Careful with Inigo’s heart, until he had to give into the pressures of his father.)

Inigo sighs again. “Xander—“

"I still have feelings for you.”

Inigo closes his eyes. There's a lump in his throat. “I thought we already talked about this.”

“I know,” says Xander. “Is it really so bad to talk about it again?”

“Yes,” Inigo says, more firmly now. “Xander, your _job_ —“

“Forget my job,” Xander says, moving one step forward. “Nobody ever asked me if I even wanted it in the first place. I've never really known what I wanted, I only did what was expected of me. I’ve never really known, up until now. And it's you, Inigo. I want to be with you.”

Inigo can’t speak.

“It's selfish, I know,” Xander continues. “You’ll be affected, too. I am in no place at all to ask this of you. I dearly hope it won't come down to you losing your job, but... if that were to happen, I would fight for you. I would insist on my own position being let go instead of yours. I have no right to ask this, but I want to make it known that I am definitely, desperately in love with you, so, please... can’t we return to the way we were before?” He takes in a shaky breath. “You asked me what I want earlier. This is want I want. Do you want this, too?”

Wordlessly, Inigo nods. Nods and nods and nods. His eyes are stinging, and he tries to blink back his tears.

Xander lets out a sigh, relief visible in his eyes. “Really?” he asks. “But—are you sure?”

“I'm absolutely positive. Of course I'm sure," Inigo chokes out. He’s smiling. “I’m so in fucking love with you, anyway.”

Xander breaks out into a smile—a grin, really, a bright, brilliant grin. He laughs, and Inigo laughs, and he moves forward to embrace him, and his clothes are getting wet but it doesn’t matter.

“Can I kiss you?” Inigo asks, lifting his head to look at him. Xander nods. Inigo reaches up to hold his face in his hands, tiptoeing, and presses a gentle kiss to his lips.

He's missed this.

“Your hands are warm,” Xander says, after they've parted.

“And you’re really cold,” Inigo says, giving him another brief kiss. "Come inside. My bed is warmer, I have lots of nice pillows.”

Xander's forehead creases, unsure. “Inigo…”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Inigo says. “In fact, I’d really rather not right now, but… I just want you to stay with me. Will you?”

Xander smiles again, softer. “Yes.”


End file.
